Chimaev Faces Woodley in RAF Moscow Main Event
Khamzat Chimaev meets Tyron Woodley in the RAF Moscow main event, with Chimaev a heavy betting favorite over the former UFC champion.
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Khamzat Chimaev and Tyron Woodley headline RAF Moscow in a catchweight main event on Saturday at Mytishchi Arena in Moscow, Russia, with both former UFC champions coming off winning debuts in the Real American Freestyle promotion.
Chimaev, the former UFC middleweight champion, returns to RAF after his own debut win for the promotion. Woodley, the former UFC welterweight champion, is coming off his first RAF appearance as well. Both men enter unbeaten inside the RAF format, and both are fighting each other for the first time as they take their trimmed-down wrestling and grappling résumés into a fresh sport built around freestyle wrestling rules and hybrid combat scoring.
The card runs deep beyond the headliner. RAF has multiple titles on the line in Moscow, including Kyle Snyder defending the light heavyweight championship against Akhmed Tazhudinov, Kyle Dake putting the cruiserweight title on the line against Kadik 2, and Kennedy Blades defending the women's middleweight championship against Vusala Parfianovich. Olympic and world-level wrestling names fill out the rest of the lineup, with Abdulrashid Sadulaev, Jordan Burroughs, Bo Nickal, Vito Arujau and Jason Nolf all in action, along with Anatoly Malykhin, Shara Magomedov and Neiman Gracie.
Why Chimaev vs. Woodley Matters
Chimaev taking this fight says a lot about how he's using RAF right now. He is staying busy on the wrestling mat while he waits for his next move in the UFC, and a catchweight clash with a fellow former UFC titleholder gives him a high-profile tune-up without touching his MMA record. Woodley, for his part, is leaning into a genuine second wind. He built momentum with his own RAF win last month and is now testing that form against arguably the toughest name on the promotion's roster.
Betting Angle
The gap between these two on the RAF market is enormous. DraftKings Sportsbook has Chimaev sitting around -10000 as a massive favorite, with Woodley priced up near +3000. That spread reflects Chimaev's size, wrestling pedigree and current form advantage rather than any real uncertainty about who the bookmakers expect to win. For bettors, this line leaves little value on the moneyline itself; any betting interest is more likely to show up in method-of-victory or round props once those markets are posted, given how lopsided the price already is.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is fighting in the RAF Moscow main event?
Former UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev faces former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley in a catchweight main event at RAF Moscow.
Where and when is RAF Moscow taking place?
RAF Moscow takes place on Saturday at Mytishchi Arena in Moscow, Russia, with the main card starting at 12 p.m. ET.
Who is favored to win Chimaev vs. Woodley?
Khamzat Chimaev is a massive betting favorite over Tyron Woodley, priced around -10000 on DraftKings Sportsbook compared to Woodley's +3000.
